


The Whole Wide World

by Texeoghea



Category: Seven Soldiers of Victory
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blue Lanterns, Castle Revolving, Drabble Collection, Klarion is a hopeful angry boy and the rings can't decide which is which, Lantern Corps, Red Lanterns - Freeform, Rings of Power, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Sheeda, in which klarion goes on adventures, solo fic, the Fair Folk, the original character isn't that important dw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-03-12 08:34:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13543644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Texeoghea/pseuds/Texeoghea
Summary: Klarion is finally in Blue Rafters, the crazy war is over, and he has a whole castle at his control.What now? Adventures!





	1. Klarion Bleak and the Castle Revolving

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a series of drabbles, in no particular order, that I wrote about Klarion and his adventures that don't seem to fit in my other fics. Other characters may appear within them, but the stories themselves will be centered around our favorite blue witch.

**Prologue**

 

The power was nearly overwhelming. Klarion could feel the raw energy pulsing through his body from the dice, making him laugh helplessly. The giggles turned to cackles, until he floated there, above the throne of Castle Revolving, almost drowning in the pure, chaotic magic, trying to remember how to breathe. He is saved only by Teekl, screeching from somewhere in the room, trying to get his attention. What was she saying? He couldn’t focus. “Brother Klarion!” She yowled. “You must control it!” Control what? He felt amazing. His vision was hazy, but he was sure there were other people in the room with him. Could they feel the power too? It was intoxicating, suffocating. “Klarion!” The voice shouted again. Who was that, again? It was so hard to remember…

 

A sharp pain lanced up his thigh, and his eyes snapped open. Klarion looked down to find Teekl, her claws deep in his calf, hanging down precariously. Blood was dripping down his leg, but he could barely feel it. As the boy lifted his cat up, the wounds closed almost immediately. “I… what was that?” His eyes were wide as he looked around, the spell fading. “What was I…” Teekl gently pawed his face. “You almost succumbed to the Chaos,” She meowed. Klarion held her close. “Thank you for saving me…” A loud, boisterous voice interrupted him. “Wow, boss! That sure was a show you put on!” Klarion blinked. “Boss?” He turned to the doorway before he was knocked out of the air. With a yelp, he flopped onto the throne. “Oops! Sorry, boss,” The voice laughs, and a woman floats into Klarion’s vision.

  
She couldn’t have been much bigger than him, but it was clear when he saw her that she was not a child. She grins sharply, displaying her pointed teeth. “Boss?” Klarion says again, not believing the insinuation. “Yeah! You’ve got the Chaos, you’re the new boss of the Castle, that’s how it works!” She spins in a lazy circle as she speaks. Klarion shakes his head. “No, i’m afraid I can’t,” He says, standing up. “I have a job to do-” The woman cuts him off, placing a finger over his lips. “You already did your job, kid,” She says, voice serious. “Now do your new one. You’ve got the dice, you’re at least _part_ Sheeda, so you’re the new queen, and you pilot the Castle.” Klarion nods slowly. “Alright!” The woman chirps, happy demeanor back, giving the boy whiplash. “I’m Jolly, by the way. I’m the co-captain of this big ship, and I can help you out while you’re learning the ropes! That’s what i’m here for, after all!” She finally alights herself next to Klarion. “So, my Queen, where to first?” Klarion thinks for a moment. His stomach growls angrily at him, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in days. Thoughts of the pile of sweet treats Mister Melmoth had given him made his mouth water, and he made his decision. “I want cake,” He said sternly. Jolly laughed and reached for the steer.


	2. Klarion Bleak and the Unexpected Parental Figures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> is every chapter going to have a Harry Potter-esc title? probably.
> 
> anyways, Klarion has some trouble attempting to be the Queen he's supposed to be, but luckily, he finds some help.

First order of business: get food. Klarion didn’t remember the last time he ate, so Jolly insisted he eat something. “You look like you’re made of sticks and paper, kid, you have to eat at least one good meal a day,” She had said, prodding him. Klarion had sputtered and slumped in his throne, curling up to avoid her hands. She had brought the Castle above a city named Gotham, where there was apparently rampant crime but surprisingly good food. “Do I have to pay for it?” Klarion asks, sitting on the railing of the throne room’s balcony, looking down at the glowing city. “How will I know where the food is?”

 

“No and just blast things until you find some,” Jolly says off-handedly. Klarion stares at her a moment. “But that’s rude,” He says. Jolly gives him an unimpressed look. “Queens don’t walk into a store and buy things normally, they break down a wall, take what they want, and leave.” She says this like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, but Klarion stares back at the buildings. “I don’t know, Jolly,” He tries, but Jolly scoffs. “Okay. I’m going to throw you off the balcony, and you’re going to fly down there, stick a great landing, and then terrorize the humans for food. Got it?” She asks, standing straight. “ _What?_ ” Klarion cries, but Jolly had already lifted him. “Teekl! _Help me!_ ” the boy shrieks as he’s thrown overboard. Teekl dashes into the room and leaps for Jolly’s face, snarling viciously, but Jolly catches the cat and throws her over too. “Have fun, sire!” Jolly calls from the ship.

Klarion screams as he free-falls through the sky, adrenaline coursing through him but finding no way out. “Brother Klarion, get some control over yourself!” Teekl calls from above him, spiraling through the air, trying to stay calm herself, but Klarion just keeps screaming. This attracts the attention of a shadow on top of a building, previously invisible in the harsh contrast between the lights of the city and the blanket of night. This figure, being Batman, shoots a grapple and swings forwards to catch the boy.

Teekl falls right past them and Klarion screams again in horror, only to sigh in relief as another, smaller figure flies forth and catches her. Robin alights next to Batman on the roof of an apartment building, and they both put their cargo down. Klarion immediately falls to the ground, in shock, panting. Teekl meows weakly and paws at her boy before collapsing on him. “What happened?” Batman asks the trembling boy, helping him gently up. Klarion shook his head, unable to form words. “I don’t think he can talk right now, Batman,” Robin says quietly. “Let’s get him something warm to drink, then, and maybe he’ll calm down.” Batman gives Klarion to Robin and straightens, calling Alfred and informing him that they’d be bringing a guest home. “I suppose this means you’ll be eating dinner for once, then?” Alfred says dryly, turning to prepare some tea. Bruce rolls his eyes. “Sure thing, Alfred.”

 

Klarion did not enjoy riding in the big scary jet at insane speeds- he was beginning to think he wasn’t cut out for this technology thing- but he very much did enjoy the tea that Alfred presented him with when he set foot in the cave. “Here you are, young sir. It will most certainly calm your nerves.” Klarion smiles politely as Teekl hopped onto his shoulders to sniff at the tea. “It isn’t poisoned,” She meows softly to him, and he takes a sip. The flavor was heavenly, and his belly felt warmer than ever as he drank. Before he even realized, the cup was empty, still steaming slightly. Klarion blinks. “Thank you,” He says shyly, embarrassed. Alfred accepted the cup back, smiling. “It’s quite alright. I shall prepare a new cup. In the meantime, please follow master Robin to the main room.” Robin takes this chance to bounce up to the boy. “Come on, Br- Batman’s waiting!” He grabs Klarion’s wrist and pulls, either not hearing Klarion’s fearful gasp or ignoring it. “W-Wait-” Klarion yelps as he’s tugged along.

Robin drags Klarion to the foyer, where Bruce sits on the couch in his full suit. Robin lets go of Klarion’s wrist as the approach, flopping down onto a chair, and Klarion slows down, rubbing his arm anxiously. “What happened?” Batman asks immediately. Klarion jumps a little, stuttering, “What do you mean?” Batman and Teekl give him matching unimpressed looks. “You and your cat were falling from the sky. How did you get in the sky?” Bruce asks slowly, gentler. Klarion felt like melting, he had no idea what to do. “Uhh,” _I was in my magical flying castle and my new butler threw me off the balcony,_ he thought bitterly. “I don’t… remember?” He tried instead. Batman seemed to accept this answer after a moment. _Sit down,_  Teekl hisses in his mind, trotting over to a seat near the fire and settling on the top of it. Klarion looks wearily at the flames, taking a step away. His feet still burned terribly, the blood undoubtedly caking his stockings and shoe soles. He could hear the crackling of the flames like they were right on top of him. If he listened, he might hear the townsfolk chanting…

“Hey, what’s wrong? You’re hyperventilating,” Robin sits up, concerned. Klarion takes another step backwards, still staring at the fire, before vanishing. Robin and Batman gasped as the boy simply ceased to exist in front of them. They turned, and sure enough, Teekl was gone too. Alfred then walked through the door with a new cup of tea, and looked around. “Where did the boy go?” Neither of the dynamic duo had an answer.

 

Meanwhile, Jason Blood and John Constantine were on a date. Not an extravagant one, but a date nonetheless. They had just finished fending off Felix Faust’s latest attempt to destroy Gotham, and were sitting outside a fast food restaurant, eating burgers. “Have you noticed that his voice gets higher for every minion of his we destroy?” John says casually. Jason snickers. “He cleared the treble clef by the time we got to him,” he replies, smiling. John snorted, choking slightly and coughing as Jason laughs.

The gentle peace was broken by a boy falling hard onto the concrete in front of them.

Klarion hissed in pain and sat up, reaching back to touch his head. His gloves had no blood on them, but his head hurt terribly, and with the burns on his body and whatever bruises he’s gained since, he hoped Jolly had some sort of healing magic. Teekl, who had landed on her feet, padded over him and right up to the shocked men on the curb. “Give us food,” She demands, but it’s heard as a bossy meow.

“What the shit?” John says eloquently.

Klarion stands up shakily, then turns. “ _Terrorize the humans for food,_ ” Jolly’s voice echoes in this head. The boy clears his throat and stands straight, folding his arms behind his back. “I am Klarion, Queen of the Sheeda. Give me food or pay the price!”

“We already paid the price, that’s how we got these,” Jason says dryly, right as John replies, “How about I give you, like, a house instead?” They turn to each other. “John, you can’t just-” Jason starts, but John interrupts. “This is my son now, Blood,” He stands. Klarion watches, confused, as John paces towards him. “Here, kid,” He says, giving Klarion the burger. He sniffs it suspiciously before eating it. “John,” Jason groans, exasperated. “My house is bigger than Bruce Wayne’s, i’ll be damned if I don’t adopt at least one kid,” John replies. Klarion tugs at his coat. “I want another one,” He says demandingly. John pats his head. “I can make you something better with enough time and ingredients,” He says, then turns to the other man. “Probably. Come on, cupcake, let’s get this tyke something good.” Jason sighs deeply and stands as John pulls out the key to his house. “Alright, I guess we have a kid now,” He shrugs, only half joking. Klarion picks Teekl up into his arms and looks considerately at the men.

“Let’s stay long enough to get clean and full, and then we can leave _,_ ” Teekl meows. Klarion nods. “Sounds like a plan,” he whispers back, truly just glad at the opportunity to stop walking for a moment.

 

Jolly, stretched out on the throne, watched Klarion enter the house of mysteries from a glowing orb in front of her. “Well, that isn’t what I wanted,” She said softly, “But it’ll do for now.”


	3. The Sheeda Queen and the Next-Dimensional Worms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Earth-64 Klarion is not what Jason and John expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a huge time jump between the last chapter and this one. As I said, a lot of the chapters may not be in chronological order, so if need be, I can add years in the summaries. If you see anything that needs to be fixed, feedback is appreciated!

The Queen of Sheeda demanded fear and respect wherever he went. All the citizens of Earth-64 knew this. The Faerie King rarely emerged from his castle in the sky, but when he did, all humans were to bow in silence and awe, or face a grave price. Word had it that he liked to string his victims up and cook them slowly, using his magic to keep them alive until their skin was but ash, and that he’d laugh all the while. It was the only time he laughed, and it was always cruel.

Jason Blood and John Constantine of Earth-42 did not know this.

They came to Earth-64 because they had been told by Barry Allen, the Flash, specifically to avoid it at all costs, and figured that the Klarion of an apparently hyper-dangerous Earth would know how to save theirs from whatever mysterious Sheeda illness Jolly and the Castle could not cure.

When they found the Justice League of this Earth, at first they thought that the world wasn’t so different after all, but when John mentioned the boy’s name the entire council went silent. Batman had stared at them with concealed shock when they had entered the doors, but now he gaped openly with the rest. “Do you not know?” Diana asked incredulously. “We do not speak the Queen’s name, it is forbidden.”

“What, like Voldemort?” John asked, laughing, but by everybody’s grave looks, he stopped. Even Firestorm, Booster Gold, and Plastic Man seemed oddly serious. “What? Is the kid mad at you or something?”

“That creature is no child,” Clark said gravely. “He is an all-powerful god, a faerie whose power is not matched by any but this team at their peak performance. He is not a subject to be taken lightly, and he is certainly not a mere boy.” Jason scoffed. “The ‘Queen of Sheeda’ we know is a 16 year old with blue skin and an inferiority complex who likes to play hero, not a god.” Booster Gold took a deep breath. “Yeah, uh, the K-Man of this Earth actually ripped you both to shreds. With his bare hands. When you guys adopted yours.” John swore under his breath. “We don’t know if it was because he was angry that the yous from this Earth didn’t do that for him, or that you guys did it for your K, but either way, he was super pissed.”

“Well,” John said after a moment. “Hopefully pissed enough to be willing to give us the thing we need and make us leave?” He smiled sarcastically.

“Oh, absolutely not,” A voice rang out, echoing about the room. Everyone tensed. In Jason’s head, Etrigan growled lowly.  **Be careful, Blood, heed their warning, in this child’s head, brutal magic is warring. The Klarion you know may be sweet, but for this one to give mercy would be quite a rare treat.**

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jason grunted under his breath.

 

The room grew dark, shadows swelling from all corners. Only a small spotlight remained, on the middle of the table, where the shadows melted and twisted, folding into a cocoon, before exploding apart. There in their wake stood a young man, perhaps 20. His skin was a rich dark cobalt, and seemed to glow with bright teal magic swirling just under it. Black tattoos danced about his arms and face, and dipped under his coat, which tattered ends reached his feet. Instead of the black horns twisting out of his hair like the two men were so used to, magnificent antlers curved out from is skull and twisted behind him, like a godly buck. His eyes, half-lidded and bored, were a bright, glowing crimson, filled with fire. His posture was ramrod straight, and his arms folded behind his back as he walked, on top of the table, to be in front of the two dimension-hoppers.

"Be glad I do not simply kill you here and now, scum,” He says again. His tone drips with malice and hatred, and all in the room could tell he was indeed holding himself back. “Whatever it is you desire, you will not find it here. Leave my planet at once and do not return.” John scoffed. “No way-” Klarion’s head turned sharply, disturbingly fast, and as his eyes locked with John’s, his voice stopped in his throat as his mouth continued to move.

The faerie lifted a hand from his back and snapped primly, and at once he and the men were transported from the Justice League Watchtower to the Castle Revolving throne room. Klarion takes a step back, now standing on the top platform, and sits down in his throne, with the grace of a lion waiting to pounce on its sick prey, content to watch it suffer first. Jason and John stumble from their sudden lack of chairs, falling to the ground. Around them, faeries with color schemes from any shade of the rainbow stand at attention. At the sight of their king, they undergo a coordinated, fluid series of motions, obviously their salute, before stepping back to a ready position. “Welcome home, my Queen,” They shout in unison. Klarion nods uncaringly, and they, as a unit, take a step back into the shadow. All Jason and John could see of them were the glinting of their armor and the glow of their eyes.

 

Klarion leans forwards, chin resting on one hand and the other on his knee, legs crossed. “You seek aid for the boy who calls himself by my name, in your world.” He states this, not asks, as he knows it to be a fact. Jason nods, having learned from John’s careless mistake that this version of the Prince he knew did not like being spoken to. “Well. I have aid.” He leans back. “I shall not give it to you.” Jason opens his mouth to protest, but shuts it quickly. “I shall not give it to you because the so-called Klarion you care for is a weak disgrace to my name, as all the others are.” the Queen growls. “The boys in their silly costumes think themselves powerful, but they use their abilities for theft and cheap parlor tricks. They could all be gods, like me, but they waste their potential, and as such, they are wastes. And I do not aid waste.” He waves his hand in dismissal. “Return to your world and be grateful that it is getting rid of such a lowly spawn in the first place.” Jason stands. “Now, just a minute,” He snaps, and as he does, so do the guards.

They flow from the shadows as a single unit, surrounding the two men. John, whose voice is still stolen, stands as well, raising his fists, which catch fire. The guards pay it no mind and grab the men’s arms, probably to drag them overboard or worse, when Klarion snaps his fingers again.

“I want to hear what the worm has to say,” Klarion hums. Like obedient dogs, the soldiers release the men. Through his anger, Jason takes a deep breath. “My nephew is  _ not _ a waste of space,” He hisses. “He is a wonderful child who is trying his best in a harsh world to be a good person and a good role model to his subjects, even if he’s just a boy. He wants to see the good in the world and put good into it, even if he was never given it, because he believes that people can do good if they just want to. Who am I, and who are you, to tell an innocent child that their one power means nothing? Children are powerful because they are innocent. If you take that away from him, like so many others have tried to do, like someone has done to you, then I swear, even if you rip me to microscopic shreds, I will find a way to pay you back for it.” Jason’s voice is level, but rippling like a lake in a storm, livid and bubbling beneath the surface.

The Queen listens to this with detached interest, like one would a bug who is stuck on its back, before finally leaning forwards. “The light that boy sees does not exist. It was snuffed out long ago. If it burns inside him as you say it does, he will never get the chance to show it. I will help you, but not because I care,” The already dim light flickers, and Klarion is right in front of Jason. It is at this point that the man realizes that this creature is not a boy, but a  _ creature _ , several inches taller than him, rippling with angry energy and power. “I shall help you because this plan will backfire, and when it does, I want to be there so I can laugh in your pitiful sobbing face and say ‘I told you so, old man, I told you his light will never catch. You should have snuffed it when you could.’ I shall help you so I can watch as all three of you break.”

 

It’s at this point that John makes a frustrated motion with his arms, and Klarion’s eyes slide disturbingly to the side to look at him. He waves his hand, and John bursts out, “Where in the devil is your cat, anyways?”

At the word cat, Klarion reared back and combusted into flames.

The soldiers all light as well, snarling at the men and stepping forward threateningly. “You would like to know what I did to the creature called Teekl?” Klarion hisses. “I killed her with my own bare hands as the first test of my power, and I ripped her skin off and tanned it with my own fire, and I made it into my first coat. And when I outgrew it, I used it as a rag, because I did not need her feeble power.” The flames build like a wildfire, spreading from his feet to the floor of the throne room. “She was weak and feeling, and all the things a god cannot be. She was a parasite, and I disposed of her as one would a tick. Now she rots with the rest of the forgotten fleas and insects of Limbo Town, beneath the earth.” Klarion raised his hand. “Begone, scum, I seek council with you no longer.” He snapped his fingers a final time, and it echoed throughout the room, somehow louder than the roar of flames.

As the click sounded, Jason and John found themselves in the room of their own Klarion, still laboring in his bed, asleep, sweating, and whimpering in terror at his visions. Jason sat heavily, and John leaned on the wall. As promised, as soon as they appeared in the room, Klarion seemed to relax, sighing contently and settling down. Orchid sighs in relief. “I see your journey went well,” She says, turning to them and stopping when she saw their expressions. “...Or maybe not?”

 

“...Fuck me,” John said finally. “He’s more dramatic than Earth-X Batman.”


	4. Klarion Bleak and the Unexpected Parental Figures, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sequel.

“Okay, kiddo,” John said as the three walked into the foyer of the house. “Orchid’ll show you to the bathroom while I figure out how to make soup. Come along, Jason,” He rubbed his hands together and walked through one of the doors, probably to the kitchen. Jason sighed and followed, undoubtedly to make sure John didn’t break anything. “Well, alright, I guess,” Klarion says quietly. He turns in a slow circle, looking around the room. “Orchid?” He says hesitantly, not sure who or what he was looking for. He was quickly answered by a purple shape appearing out of the wall, shape twisting and stretching to take the form of an adult woman, with deep purple skin and insect-like features. Klarion gasped and stepped back as Teekl puffed her fur, but Orchid quickly raised her hands. “My apologies,” She said gently. “I did not mean to scare you. I am Orchid.” Klarion regards her with hesitant curiosity. “That man said you’d lead me to the bathroom,” He sniffed. _Whatever a bathroom was. Probably a room for baths, you stupid boy, it’s right in the name, how daft can you be?_ He thought to himself, scoffing at his own stupidity. “Yes, it’s right this way,” Orchid nods and turns. Klarion follows her after a beat, curiosity beating caution.

She leads the boy up a flight of stairs and down a very long hallway, twisting and turning. Finally, they stopped in front of a plain white door, a carpet absent in front of it, unlike the other rooms. “Here you are,” She says, stepping back. “I shall fetch you some clothes while you clean up. If you have problems figuring out the shower, just ask me,” The woman bows before melting into the floor. Klarion stares in amazement for a moment before turning to the door. “Okay. Shower,” He says, opening it and walking in. The room was a pleasant shade of pink, and smelled like fruits that Klarion had never tasted. “Ohh,” He gasped in awe at the trinkets adorning the counter, the sink’s intricate design on the handles, the towels hanging off the towel rack, and the fluffy cover of the toilet. Teekl hopped off his shoulders and padded to the door, kicking it closed, and then settled on the toilet seat as Klarion investigated the shower. He took his gloves off and rolled up his sleeves, fiddling with the knob of the shower. “Left is warm,” He says, amazed. “And the water comes from the ceiling. Teekl, how incredible this Blue Rafters is!”

 

Pulling off his clothes, the boy hissed in pain as he peeled his stockings away from his bloodied feet. The burns had scabbed onto his socks, and as he pulled, the tops of the sensitive burns were torn slightly. “Ow,” he whimpered as he ripped the socks off. “When you’re done and changed, perhaps we can ask those men, John and Jason, if they know any healing spells. You’re of no use adventuring with your feet covered in burns,” Teekl meowed worriedly. Klarion nodded and stood shakily. He left bloody footprints as he stepped into the warm water and screamed in shock and pain as the water stung his legs. “Oh, god,” He panted, gritting his teeth. The water washed the dirt and excess blood off, stinging horribly but effectively cleaning his wounds. After a few moments, the pain dulled, and Klarion unstuck the bottom of his bloody feet from the tub to rinse those as well. After the blood was cleaned off, Klarion dipped his head cautiously under the water, and sighed as the warmth washed over him. He ran his fingers through his hair contently, pulling out knots and dirt, before turning and looking at the bottles lining the shelf in the shower. “Hmm…”

He ended up getting soap in his eyes, but Klarion eventually stepped out of the shower clean. Once out of the watery spray, his wounds began to bleed again, and after drying himself off with a towel and finding nothing else, he wrapped two around his legs. “I’ll, ah, clean them later,” He said to Teekl, watching him. Right on time, a knock sounded at the door. “Klarion, I have brought you nightclothes,” Orchid called. “Oh, thank you,” Klarion said, surprised. He opened the door just enough to grab the new clothes before closing the door again. “Wait, child, what happened to your legs?” Orchid asked, worried. Klarion froze and contemplated telling the truth. “Uhh, burns,” He grunts. “I can fix that for you when you’re done changing,” Orchid informs, and Klarion sighs in relief at the thought of the pain leaving. “Thank you, i’ll only be a minute.”

 

The night clothes were a bit too big for him, hanging off his scrawny form, but they would do. After changing and removing the towels, he opened the door slowly, glancing about the empty hallway. “Orchid?” He asked, unsure. The woman melted out of the wall once more, and Klarion absolutely _didn’t_ scream in surprise. “Let me see your legs,” She demanded shortly. Klarion obeyed, too surprised to question it. Orchid gingerly touched the burns and Klarion hissed once more in pain. “I can heal the wounds, but they will scar,” Orchid said softly. “I’ve already got plenty, what’s a few more?” Klarion asked sarcastically as Orchid began to chant. “niaga elohw mees yob siht ekam ,emarf eht ot kcab hself eht dnem ,emas eht eb t’now niks eht hgouht ,niap rieht lla fo sgel sih eruC” Orchid whispered. Warm, soft streams of light wafted from her fingertips and massaged themselves into Klarion’s burns, and he sighed pleasantly as the pain drifted away. Sure enough, the nasty burns faded to pale, bubbled scars along his calves and feet. “John has prepared some soup. Or rather, Jason prepared soup, but John told me to say it was his,” Orchid hummed, amused. Klarion snickered. “Thank you, again,” He nods. Orchid smiled pleasantly at him and led him back down the stairs to the kitchen, Teekl trailing close behind.

A steaming bowl was waiting for Klarion when he reached the kitchen, sitting on the table, a slice of bread and a spoon settled neatly on a plate beside it. John was in the middle of belting out some tune and dancing as Jason laughed, but when the boy entered the room, the horseplay quickly stopped. When he thought Klarion wasn’t looking, John gave Jason a quick peck on his mouth before turning to the boy. “Hey, kiddo, you look a lot better,” He says casually, sitting down. Klarion shrugged and stared at the soup passively. “My legs aren’t bleeding anymore. What is this?”

“Uhh, soup.” John stated, still caught up by the “bleeding legs” part. Klarion squinted at him, the only soup he was familiar with being oatmeal. “It doesn’t _look_ like soup,” He scoffed quietly, but nevertheless picked up the spoon. After putting some in his mouth, he glanced back at John, who was watching him. “...Stop staring at me,” The boy muttered, embarrassed. John raised his eyebrows, shrugged, and stood up. Klarion ignored the two men as he ate, and the warmth of the soup filled his belly. He hummed pleasantly as he placed the spoon in the empty bowl, and scooted out the chair a little so Teekl could hop in his lap to be pet. “Okay, time to go back to the Castle,” Klarion chirped after a moment, sliding out of the chair. Teekl trailed after him as he cautiously exited the room.

A quick glance about the rest of the lower floor revealed that the two men had left him to eat, and he grinned to himself. “Now, to just walk right out the door,” He hummed to himself, walking to the foyer. He reached for the front door, to find that it wasn’t there. He stared at the wall for a moment. “...What?” He whispered. “Where did the…”

“ _Friend Klarion, try this one,_ ” Teekl meowed from across the room. Klarion turned and found a hallway stretching away from the stairwell that he definitely hadn’t noticed before. He narrowed his eyes and stalked forwards, picking Teekl up and letting her climb onto his shoulders. He reached to open the door, but a thick ward repelled his hand before it even touched the knob. “Hmm, it’s not that one,” He muttered. He tried the next door. And the next. And the next. He found another bathroom, a large room with a little red feathery creature curled up on a dog bed, sleeping- and a whole slew of other things- but no way out. “Am I trapped? Was this a setup?” Clarion mused, only half panicking; the infinite doors intrigued him. Finally, Orchid stopped him when he reached for a door with a fancier knob. “Let’s not go in there,” She hummed sweetly as she grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him out of the hallway. “Why? What’s in it?” He asked innocently. Orchid just smiled at him. “I’m sure John will tell you when you’re older.” She patted his head. “What’s wrong?”

“I wanna go back to my castle now,” Klarion stated, looking for a window to climb out of. He’d used weirder methods of escape. Orchid nodded. “That would do it… I’ll inform John and Jason that you left when they come back from… wherever they are. Come back again, you’re lovely company, Klarion,” She smiled warmly at him, though her strange eyes did not move at all. Although a little off-put, Klarion smiled back. Orchid waved her hand and the front door stretched back to existence at the front of the foyer, and swung open to reveal a forest, the lights of Gotham in the distance. “This is close to where we found you, so you shouldn’t have that hard of a time getting home. Goodbye,” She said, and with that, she left.

Klarion bounded eagerly out of the door, glad to be on his own again. Adults were such a hassle. He was glad for the food, though, and the men seemed to be well-versed in magicks Klarion hadn’t seen before. Maybe if he weasled them enough, they’d show him how to do some of that stuff.

As he skipped across the forest, he looked up at the sky. “Jolly, come get me, i’m ready to come back,” he called. A wispy red light descended from the sky and wrapped around Klarion, tickling him. He giggled as the wisp swirled around him and lifted him up, reaching out as Teekl leapt into his arms, and then they were whisked away, into the castle in the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops i forgot about this.
> 
> next up: klarion explores demons


	5. Klarion Bleak and the Inhabitants Of Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demons interested Klarion. He'd love to take one apart and see how it worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i edited some of the previous chapters as well if anyone was wondering

Demons always interested Klarion. They were powerful beings, humanoid but far from human, much like himself. One of the first things he researched when he reached the surface world was if the Sheeda were a breed of demon. (He had trouble with this when he found that “Sheeda” was not a human word, and that they used “Faerie”, but he managed.) They were, in fact, very different, but shared a few traits. Faeries had the ability to entrance humans, usually by singing, but the more skilled ones could simply speak in rhythm or tap their foot to a beat, and a human would find themselves lost. A breed of demon called “succubi” seemed to have a similar ability, but their preferences were far more… sexual than Klarion was used to reading about, or, frankly, was comfortable with. He had put the book back rather quickly after finding this out.

He also found that the “fair folk” had weaknesses he had never before thought of; why he was so compelled to count spilled rice, or why the iron ore in the ground burned his hands. He had thought the iron a poisonous element, but found that it simply hurt faeries to touch, much like holy water burned demons, and salt repelled them. Witch circles could trap magical beings inside, and salt circles did the same for demons. There were a lot of these parallels, and Klarion found it very intriguing. But, alas, he discovered that the fair folk and the inhabitants of hell were not related.

Bored after this search, he then looked for demons on the surface for him to question. (Read: bother.) This, naturally, led him to the club of Brother Night.

-

Jolly accompanied him this time, on the basis of her technically being his bodyguard, him being twelve, and the nightclub being guarded. Klarion insisted that Teekl could protect him from any and all danger, but Jolly fixed him with a _look_ that made him cow. The doors of the nightclub had been blasted open, and inside the boy and his guard found a strange sight: A man in a bat costume that Klarion had met before- Batman, if he remembered correctly- a teenage girl in a strange outfit, the man Klarion recognized as John Constantine, and a very tall, yellow monster, were fighting a swarm of spiky, rock-skinned beings. Klarion grew displeased. Why were they fighting? He wanted answers, but every time he looked for them, he found more questions! Why was that man dressed as a bat throwing strange, sharp objects? Why did he take on the moniker of "Batman"? The costume wasn’t even convincing! The cape didn’t look like bat wings at all! Klarion had eaten enough bats to know what they looked like, but he guessed that this human hadn’t.

After a few moments, Klarion slipped into the building. “Hey, sire, wait,” Jolly hissed. “It’s dangerous in there- sire- _kid, you stop right there-_ ” Klarion slid along the walls towards the fight. Jolly sighed angrily and slid a hand down her face before fluttering after him. Teekl purred and hopped off of Klarion’s shoulders to travel even closer, letting him use her eyes. She dashed through the fight, watching each member closely. The yellow-skinned beast laughed and spoke in rhymes, the girl spoke backwards, the man in the batsuit had plenty of fun, exploding gadgets, and John seemed to have infinite pocket space in that coat. He was the first person to notice the cat, blinking in surprise. Teekl purred and leapt onto his shoulders to nip his hair before dashing off, knocking him off balance. The demon spun and spewed flames at the stone imp who tried to jump on the man, and picked him up. “Be more careful, John, or through the fight you will not go on,” he growled. John nodded and gave a thumbs up, then turned to watch the cat dash back to her master- who caught him staring and waved. “Bloody hell,” John sighed. “Zee! I’ll be right back!” he called behind him before dashing away. “Wait, hold on, what?” The teen yelped, kicking an imp in the face. “Where do you think you’re going? JOHN!”

He slid to the wall next to Klarion and crouched. “What the he- what are you doing here, kid?” he asked incredulously. “Well, I heard that there’s a club of demons here, so I came to ask them about things, but you already beat me to it. Who’s that yellow one?” He pointed to the demon in question. John cleared his throat. “That’s, uh, Etrigan.”

“Why?” This question threw John. “Uhh. Why what?”  
“Why is he yellow? If he’s also a demon, why does he look so different from the others?” Klarion didn’t ask why they were fighting; he’d seen plenty of humans fighting since he reached Blue Rafters, and could only assume that’s just how things worked on the surface. “Well, yeah, that happens sometimes. Happens with humans too. And probably faeries. Have you met any others yet?” John asked. Klarion pointed behind him, and John turned to see a very angry sprite fluttering about in the air. “Well. Who’s that?” John countered. “Jolly. She was bothering me, so I stuck her in a ball. I’ll let her out when we’re done.” The sprite mouthed something that John could only assume was a foul swear in the faerie tongue. “Nice.”

Batman, Etrigan, and Zatanna made a fearsome team, efficiently defeating all of the imps quickly and without mercy. After they were all either killed or incapacitated, the three stopped to catch their breath. Or, Batman and Zatanna caught their breath, and Etrigan cackled with glee. He called to John, who stood from his hiding spot. “Aye, I’m right here, Hellybean,” John sighed, walking back to the center of the room. He glanced behind him, where Klarion stayed in the shadows, watching curiously. “Well, what important thing did you run off to investigate in the middle of the battle, John?” Zatanna asked, crossing her arms. John hesitated for a moment. “Thought I saw one’a those buggers running off,” He grinned sheepishly, shrugging. Zatanna raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t matter,” Batman growled. “We have eliminated the threat in this building, but there are more reports of the imps in other parts of the city. We still have work to do.” John sighed. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s hit the road, then, shall we?”

They exited the building, unaware of the blue boy watching them.

Snapping his fingers, Klarion released Jolly from his spell with the bubble's pop. She immediately whirled upright and snarled. “I would rip you to shreds for that if you weren’t the ruler, little boy.”

“Make an attempt and Teekl rips _you_ to shreds,” Klarion hummed, bored. “Now, let us follow that man and his strange friends… and that giant, rhyming fire-beast. I would like to find out where its powers come from…” he stood, dashing out the door to the abandoned, destroyed club, Teekl hot on his heels. Jolly scoffed and fluttered after them, resigning herself to another very long, annoying reign. Maybe she could knock some more sense into this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know these are all short, but i'm looking forwards to the next one!  
> Remember that these drabbles aren't really connected by any sort of timeline, as the one i'm writing currently takes place waaaaay after this one.
> 
> Klarion will actually rip a demon apart later, probably.


	6. Klarion Bleak and the Lantern's Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klarion faces the final battle alone, but emotions are powerful things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't decide whether Klarion would be a red or blue lantern, so neither could the rings. What does he chose? Read to find out!

“It’s over, little boy,” Darkseid growled, kicking Klarion in the face. He fell over limply. His willpower was gone, his power exhausted, and his cat wounded, Klarion, as far as anyone else could see, had lost. Yet still, he gritted his teeth and got up. “No,” He snarled. “It’s not.” He staggered to his feet, fists balled at his sides, teeth bared, and fire in his eyes. “It’s not over until the final chord’s gone silent, you big, ugly son of a bitch. Somewhere, somebody is fighting. Someone is going to beat you, and even if it’s not gonna be me, that’s all I need to know.” He stood straighter, emotions fuelling him. “You’re never going to win. Not while…”

And he came to an impasse. Not while what? Not while rage still festered within him? Not while hope burned bright in the souls of the soldiers who lived on? Did he thrive on hope or anger? What weapon was his final resort?

Two rings sought out that answer.

A bright flash of light above interrupted him, and spiralling down from the sky were two power rings. One a crimson red, the other a cobalt blue. Darkseid stepped back as they enveloped Klarion in a bubble of energy. “Klarion Bleak of Earth,” They stated simultaneously. “You harbor both great rage and great hope in your heart. You have come to a fork in your destiny, and only you can decide where your future will take you.” The red ring spiraled closer to him. “Will you allow rage to power your every move, and give you the ability to destroy that which seeks to destroy you?” it floated backwards, and the blue ring took its place. “Or will you allow hope to fill your soul and mind, and fight on in its name?” The rings spiraled in a slow loop in front of him. “Which will you chose, Klarion Bleak of Earth?”

And which one did he want? Red, or blue?   
  


Klarion reached for the red ring.

As it slid onto his finger easily, the blue ring spiraled away from him and into the sky without another word. Rage coursed through Klarion, hazing his vision and making him grit his teeth and growl. Flashes crossed his eyes, memories of every moment in his life that had enraged him. When his town chased him out, when his mother tried to burn him alive, when Zell tried to strangle him, when Batman and his League of Justice tried to kill him… Red hot fury scorched his veins, both for him, and the people he failed. 

More flashes, this time of every moment when Jason looked disappointed in him, every time Batman scowled more than usual, every time he made a mistake and scared or hurt a civilian, every moment he was just a second too late to save someone. Klarion growled, righteous fury filling his heart and fuelling his soul. Red energy swirled around him, and his eyes snapped back up to glare at Darkseid. The larger man took a step back in surprise, then scoffed and levelled his blade. “I have slaughtered countless red lanterns, boy,” He laughed. “Your feeble anger means nothing to me.” Klarion grinned. “Perhaps not mine. But see how a faerie channels their emotions, vile creature.” He raised his fist, pointing his ring to the sky. The fury of the fallen coursed through him, red light lifting from his friends and foes alike, swirling into his own aura. Eyes flaring with fiery rage, he floated into the air. “See now the consequences of your actions, Darkseid. See now what the power of anger holds!” He let loose a blast, strong enough to send Darkseid flying into the air, and pursued him, slicing, stabbing, shooting him, never letting him hit the ground- playing a deadly game of hacky-sack. Well above the atmosphere, Darkseid floated in space, breathing heavily and bleeding profusely. Klarion pointed his ring one final time, red hazing the edges of his vision, when Teekl’s voice rang in his head.  _ Brother Klarion, _ she called from the surface, lifting her head weakly.  _ Remember your training. Remember more than the rage. This is not all that you are, Brother Klarion. You are more than just an agent of fury and justice. You are a queen, a son, a friend. Come back to me, Klarion. _

Klarion blinked, and lowered his hand. Taking a deep breath, he allowed the rage to fade from his heart. “You do not deserve such a mercy as death, Darkseid,” He stated. “You will live out your sentence, imprisoned for your crimes against the multiverse.” Darkseid groaned weakly as Klarion surrounded him in a bubble of energy and floated him back to the surface.

 

Once on the ground, Klarion collapsed to his knees. Exhaustion pulled him further to the ground, but there was still work to be done. Klarion stood and pulled the ring from his hand, letting it float before him. “Your power is admirable, ring, but rage is not the destiny I wish to follow,” He said. “Find a more worthy soldier. I hear Gotham is full of them.” The red ring flashed. “So be it, Klarion Bleak of Earth.” And it flew away into the sky.

Walking quickly to save time, Klarion hurried over to his beloved cat. “Teekl, thank you,” He praised, gently lifting her into his arms. She purred weakly.  _ To allow you to give into rage… would be the greatest folly of my life. _

“Don’t say that, Teeks,” Klarion said gently. “You’ll have all the time in the universe to make a bigger one.” He looked to the stars. “Where there is light,” He smiled, “There is hope.”

And the blue ring turned around.


	7. Klarion Bleak and the Strange Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three children stumble upon a library in the woods, and decide to take a peek inside.

There was a library in the woods.

It never seemed to appear in the same place. Hikers and adventurers would find an old building, with the door blocked off, the windows broken, and ivy climbing up the walls, think to themselves, “Ah, it’s an abandoned building. Nobody’s been in there for at least a decade.” And keep walking.  
But the alluring mystery of an abandoned building, while lost on adults, is thrilling and intoxicating to children. So when Hilda and her friends found it in the woods while looking for rare plants, they couldn’t help but find a way inside.

“The door looks blocked,” David said nervously. “I don’t think we should go in.”  
“Nonsense, David, look,” Hilda pointed. “The boards have a hole in between them, I bet they’re just there to make it look abandoned. We could fit right in.”  
“The question is, why would we want to?” Frida asked as Hilda began to clamber through the boards. “I think she just wants an adventure,” David sighed. Frida watched Hilda squirm and grunt before the boards gave way and collapsed to the floor with her in tow. “Ow!” She yelped, scrambling out of the pile and into the library. “Oh, look I got in!” She cheered. Then she turned around. “Oh, wow,” she gasped quietly. Bookshelves extended high above her, the arching ceiling looking much higher than it did from the outside. Tables and chairs were strewn about the floor, some overturned but others dustless and pretty. A spiral staircase led up to floors above the one she was in, and books of all shapes, sizes, and colors were stuffed to the brim within each one. A wheeled ladder was leaning on one near her. Birds fluttered their wings from the rafters. Sunlight drafted in from the windows above her, illuminating the dust drifting about the room. She dashed further into the building as she cried, “Oh, it’s beautiful, you guys, you’ve got to come see this!” David and Frita glanced at each other nervously before following.

“Hilda, slow down,” David whimpered as he dashed after her. Hilda hopped onto one of the ladders and wheeled down a line of bookcases, looking at all the books with glee. She gasped and stopped at the end, picking up a book with a gorgeous blue velvet color and shimmering gold imprinted words. “Enchantment and Disenchantment Spells for the Uneducated Warlock,” she read aloud. “Wow! This must be a wizard’s library!” Frita gasped, pulling a red book off another shelf. “How to Attract, Lure, Trap, and Tame Familiars, A Guide,” she read. “It sounds like this wizard doesn’t know much about magic,” David laughed. “I’ll have you know I haven’t touched those books in years!” A voice boomed from above them.

The three children gasped. Frita quickly put the book back, while Hilda dropped hers and scrambled to catch it. It slipped from her fingers, but stopped right before it hit the ground, enveloped in a strange blue glow. It floated up from the ground, and the children watched as it levitated right into the hands of a boy, a few years older than them. But the strange thing was that he was floating in midair, his legs crossed, and stranger than that, his skin was blue, and there were horns curving from his forehead and around his fluffy black hair. Bright red eyes glared at them as he scowled. “Whoa! Who are you? Are you some kind of Teifling?” Hilda questioned quickly, stepping in front of her friends. “EXCUSE me?” The boy cried. “Who are _you,_ and what are _you_ doing in _my_ library?” As he said this, he waved his hand, and the building changed. The broken down and old appearance vanished in the blink of an eye, and the rooms suddenly looked homey and comfortable. While still retaining an antique feel to it, the furniture was no longer broken, the wallpaper was intact, a fire crackled in the fireplace, and the doors and windows were fully intact. The children gasped as the birds swooped down from the rafters, screaming at them before swirling and landing on the boy. The flock seemed to be of any different species, the largest being a vulture and the smallest being some kind of finch. A raven alighted on the boy’s lap and fluffed up its feathers before changing shape and turning into a large, orange cat with striking green eyes. It settled down and hissed at the children, and the boy stroked its back. “This is my library, and my books. You are not welcome here, get out!” The boy boomed again. David gave a thumbs up and dashed out the door. “Wait, wait!” Hilda cried as she was lifted up with magic. “We didn’t mean to be rude, we’re sorry!”

“You should be!” The boy responded. “Don’t you know that barging into people’s houses is rude?”

“Well, we didn’t know anyone still lived here! When we came in, the building looked all run down, so we thought it was abandoned!” Hilda cried in protest. “Yes, we’re looking for a special flower, and we thought it might be in here,” Frita assisted from behind a chair. The boy considered her a moment before sighing and setting the girl down. “What does the flower look like?” He asked as he lifted his hand. Several books floated off of the shelves and over to him, dancing lazily around him as he observed the girl. His eyes were half-lidded and bored. “Uh, um- a Blue Nettle, I think?” She asked. Four of the books floated back to their spot, and the fifth glided into the boy’s hands. He opened it more dramatically than needed, the birds and cat scattering as he placed it on his lap and furiously flipped through the pages before stopping. “Ah, yes. Not that rare, really. Practically a weed.” He uncrossed his legs and stepped onto the ground, stalking forwards to the girl and handing her the open book. “Here, it will give you directions to the garden with the plant you want. Ask the raven at the door for permission to enter and take a clipping. If it doesn’t let you in, give it some food to bribe it. When you’re done, come back here and give me the book.” Hilda went to take it, but his grip hardened. “And then, don’t come back. Ever.” Hida gulped and nodded, and the boy loosened his hold. “Good.” He walked back to the middle of the room and floated upwards, lying back comfortably mid-air. The cat hopped onto a table and then onto his stomach, curling up and glaring at the children. “Hurry up, now, go on,” He made a shooing motion with his hand. “Haven’t got all day, y’know.” Hilda and Frita nodded and ran out the door, which slammed shut behind them. As soon as it did, the beautiful appearance disappeared, and the building was once again run down and old, though the girls got the feeling that it was just an illusion to ward people off.  
David was waiting for them outside. “What took you so long?” He cried, fidgeting. “I thought he had eaten you or something!” Hilda scoffed. “Quite the contrary. He gave us a book to find the Blue Nettle!”

“He seemed impatient to get it back, though,” Frita observed. “We should hurry.” Hilda nodded. “I agree.”

They came back over two hours later, opening the door with a slam. “That raven was so picky it took us an hour to find food it would take!” Hilda shouted. The boy sat up, startled, and scoffed at them. “Well, don’t whine to me about it. Did you get the nettles?”

“Yeah,” Hilda sighed. “Here’s your book.” The boy hopped onto the ground and stalked over to her, pulling the book out of her hands and dusting it off before letting it drift from his hands and back to the shelf it belonged on. “Well, if that’s all you need, shoo. Go on, get out,” The boy waved his hand and turned away. “Wait,” Hilda said. “Aren’t you going to tell us your name?”  
“You never told me yours, why would I initiate friendly behavior with people who barged into my home and took my books to have some silly adventure?” the boy growled. Hilda smiled and stepped forwards. “I’m Hilda,” she said. “My friends are Frita and David. We’re sorry we came into your library without asking.”  
The boy considered her a moment, and then laughed. His teeth were pointy, and glinted. “Okay, your enthusiasm has won me over for the moment.” he grasped her hand in his and shook it firmly. “My name is Klarion Blood.” Hilda smiled wider. “See? Now we’re friends!” Klarion laughed. “Absolutely not. Get out of my house.” He pulled his hand back and made a sharp movement to the side with it, and the three children were thrown back by a gust of wind. They landed a few feet away from the building, and Klarion called, “And don’t come back, please!” before closing the door. As soon as it slammed, the building disappeared completely, leaving the sound to echo ominously through the woods.

“He seemed nice,” Hilda chirped, and David and Frita sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been watching Hilda on Netflix


End file.
